Abercrombie & Fitch to modify Hollister Co. stores to make them wheelchair accessible

Tuesday

Aug 20, 2013 at 12:01 AMAug 20, 2013 at 3:46 PM

A federal judge's decision on Friday means that Abercrombie & Fitch will have to modify its Hollister Co. stores to make them wheelchair accessible. About 248 Hollister stores around the nation have stepped entrances, making them inaccessible for people in wheelchairs. New Albany-based Abercrombie had argued that the retailer's Hollister chain was complying with the law by having separate, side entrances for customers in wheelchairs.

Tim Feran, The Columbus Dispatch

A federal judge’s decision on Friday means that Abercrombie & Fitch will have to modify its Hollister Co. stores to make them wheelchair accessible.

About 248 Hollister stores around the nation have stepped entrances, making them inaccessible for people in wheelchairs. New Albany-based Abercrombie had argued that the retailer’s Hollister chain was complying with the law by having separate, side entrances for customers in wheelchairs.

But U.S. District Court Judge Wiley Daniel disagreed, saying that the chain was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Denver-based judgeruled that Abercrombie will have to start fixing the problem on Jan. 1 and complete the work by Jan. 1, 2017.

Abercrombie said in a statement that it was “disappointed by the judge’s decision,” and continues to believe that “the Hollister porch stores were built to comply with the ADA and to allow access to all patrons. While we intend to assess our rights of appeal, we will, of course, comply with the terms of the court's order once it is issued.”